All posts tagged: Hungarian

Tensions surge in final stretch of Hungarian election – POLITICO

Tensions surge in final stretch of Hungarian election – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“Independent and critical outlets operate alongside a much larger pro-government media sector,” the report read. Kovács dismissed the OSCE’s concerns, calling its warnings of government influence over the media a “political opinion” and casting doubt on the credibility of its findings. As the campaign intensifies and polls continue to suggest that the opposition Tisza Party could win, analysts warn that both Tisza and the ruling Fidesz may clash after election night and challenge the result. Veteran election observer Péter Kramer, who has over 16 years of experience observing elections on behalf of the EU, warned the growing presence of parallel missions could muddy the waters. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were disingenuous observers,” he said, noting that politically aligned groups increasingly deploy missions to shape the narrative after the vote. “It’s an international trend.” An organization closely linked to Fidesz, the Civic Cooperation Forum, has called on U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which promotes global conflict resolution, to deploy an election observation mission ahead of the April 12 vote. Meanwhile, a conservative …

Lázár by Nelio Biedermann review – a Hungarian epic from a 22-year-old author | Fiction

Lázár by Nelio Biedermann review – a Hungarian epic from a 22-year-old author | Fiction

Published by Sam Flores

This gothic-inflected saga has received much attention in Europe for its quirky and confident take on 20th-century Hungarian history. It is sobering to reflect that its author not only has no personal memory of the end of communist rule in eastern Europe, but that he wasn’t even alive when the twin towers fell. Born in 2003, Nelio Biedermann is among the first wave of gen Z writers of fiction and Lázár is his debut novel. The opening pages introduce us to a world straight out of gothic fable. In an isolated manor house by a forbiddingly dark forest, a strange-looking baby is born. This unearthly child, Lajos, is fated to carry forward the family name of the Lázárs, a noble dynasty with an alarming tendency to go mad, die violently, or both. Meanwhile, in another wing of the house lurks the baron’s older brother, Imre, who is barred from the baronetcy by reason of insanity. In fact, Lajos von Lázár’s parentage isn’t quite what it appears. We soon learn that he is the product of an illicit liaison between …

Orbán’s spies were hunting me, says Hungarian journalist accused of espionage – POLITICO

Orbán’s spies were hunting me, says Hungarian journalist accused of espionage – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

“That’s when they grabbed all the material they had on me, edited it, spun it around and published it as a sort of kompromat,” Panyi said, referring to a Russian term for compromising material. Szijjártó has acknowledged speaking with Russian counterparts before and after EU meetings, following reporting by The Washington Post that he gave Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reports on what was discussed, and the possible solutions proposed, during EU meetings. On Thursday, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office Gergely Gulyás announced that the government had filed a criminal complaint against Panyi, accusing him of espionage and collusion with Ukrainian intelligence services. The complaint alleges he shared sensitive information about Szijjártó but does not disclose specific details or evidence. Prosecutors now have to decide whether to launch an investigation or not. The Hungarian Parliament and the Dunabe river in July 2021. | Gergely Besenyei/AFP via Getty Images Orbán and Szijjártó have maintained close relations with the Kremlin — including making multiple trips to meet top-level officials in Moscow — even after the EU …

Talks on EU’s €1.8T budget hinge on Hungarian election – POLITICO

Talks on EU’s €1.8T budget hinge on Hungarian election – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Given the Hungarian leader’s success in remaining in power, 10 EU officials and diplomats, all granted anonymity to speak freely with POLITICO, outlined what they see as the worst-case scenario: Orbán securing a fourth term and derailing budget negotiations. “We are not in a rush, so if we win the elections, then we certainly don’t see the need to rush the agreement on the MFF through by the end of 2026,” said Hungarian Minister for European Affairs János Bóka. During negotiations to date, the Hungarian government has called for the links between EU payments and respect for democratic standards to be dismantled. Those standards, however, are a key priority for wealthy Northern European countries, whose contributions to the EU budget largely exceed the payouts they receive in return. “One can easily imagine how a discussion on the rule of law will be more difficult if a government [led by Viktor Orbán] that has had the most difficulties and recorded breaks of the rule of law stays in power,” said Jan Szyszko, Poland’s deputy minister for …

Hungarian opposition picks top business executives to dismantle Orbán’s rule – POLITICO

Hungarian opposition picks top business executives to dismantle Orbán’s rule – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

Zoltán Tarr, the No. 2 in Tisza, said the priority was to find “good managers” who could implement that change. He explained that another advantage of recruiting from corporate boardrooms — rather than hiring political veterans — was that the new ministers would not be tainted by previous government experience that would compromise their ability to slash back Orbán’s role in the state. “We mostly go to the business world to find names because we have certain rules. We cannot deal with people with certain government ‘baggage.’ And that really limits the possibilities for us,” he told POLITICO in an interview. Tarr added that trying to regain access to Hungary’s currently frozen EU funds would also require skills familiar to executives. “There will be a pragmatic relation with Ursula von der Leyen and Brussels … it’s like business, but mutually beneficial, for Hungary and the EU, and a keeping-your-word kind of business,” he said. So far, only five names for a potential Cabinet have been confirmed, apart from leader Magyar, who would be prime minister. …

Hungarian Conceptual Artist Dies at 88

Hungarian Conceptual Artist Dies at 88

Published by José Betancourt

Dóra Maurer, a Hungarian conceptual artist whose output in multiple mediums explored how meaning shifts across time and space, has died at 88. The Art Newspaper reported that the Széchenyi Academy of Literature and Arts, where Maurer served as president, confirmed her passing. Maurer was one of the most important contemporary artists in Hungary. She is today best known for her works produced in the country while it was still under Soviet rule. Many of those famous works were produced in the 1970s, during a period when Maurer was producing photography and films that primarily featured the artist and her collaborators performing banal acts. Related Articles One 1971 piece, titled Mit lehet egy utcakővel csinálni? (What Can One Do with a Paving Stone?), involved Maurer caressing, throwing, and toting around a paver. Given that the performance obliquely invoked the protests of May 1968 in Paris, during which students threw paving stones, the work has been read as a political gesture. But Maurer framed it in different terms, focusing on how one might create a narrative …

Hungarian court sentences German to 8 years in assault on neo-Nazis – POLITICO

Hungarian court sentences German to 8 years in assault on neo-Nazis – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

The Budapest court found Maja T. guilty of attempting to inflict life-threatening bodily harm and membership in a criminal organization. The prosecution had sought a 24-year prison sentence, arguing the verdict should serve as a deterrent; the defendant has a right to appeal. German politicians on the left condemned the court’s decision. “The Hungarian government has politicized the proceedings against Maja T. from the very beginning,” Helge Limburg, a Greens lawmaker focused on legal policy, wrote on X. “It’s a bad day for the rule of law.” The case sparked political tensions between Hungary and Germany after Maja T. went on a hunger strike in June to protest conditions in jail. Several German lawmakers later visited to express their solidarity, and German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul called on Hungary to improve detention conditions for Maja T. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s illiberal government is frequently accused of launching a culture war on LGBTQ+ people, including by moving to ban Pride events, raising concerns among German left-wing politicians and activists over the treatment of Maja T. by the …